Stop and Stare
by kanna-chan94
Summary: Katherine Sinclair gets an old journal in the mail from her father. When she writes in it, a correspondence starts between her and the Steward of Gondor . COMPANION TO BASIL101'S STORY, THE JOURNAL! SOON TO FOLLOW WITH SEQUEL WHERE OUR OCs MEET!
1. Chapter I

**A/N: So...my first full-on LotR fic...this story will soon go into a collaboration with Basil101's awesome story "The Journal," where our OCs will meet! Also, there will be a few cameos in this fic of characters from various shows/movies...feel free as to guess where they're from! Oh, and my character's boyfriend is German, and my German is pretty much limited to asking for hot or cold water and the months. Oh, and I can count to forty in German, too, but that's about it. So I'll be using translations, and if any native German speakers (or anyone who speaks fluent German) can correct me, please feel free to! English translations will be in parenthesis after the foreign language!**

**One more thing! This story may become M later for future content. I won't say what, but...just letting you know in advance.**

**Let's see...kanna-chan (one thing you'll learn about me is that I talk in third person for my disclaimers...no idea why...just something I started doing) does not own "Lord of the Rings," any of the media referenced, or "The Journal." Those belong to Peter Jackson, JRR Tolkein, the people who created the referenced media, and Basil101.**

* * *

><p>"No, Mom, I can't come this weekend," Katherine Sinclair sighed on the phone with her mom, at her boarding school in London. It was Saturday morning, and she was walking with her friends, Maria, Lillit, and Rachel on their boarding school campus. Katherine was eighteen, had a thick Scottish accent, and lived in Aberdeen in Scotland with her parents and her seven year old sister, Rose. She had white skin, blue eyes, long light brown hair that went down to her waist with side swept bangs, and was currently wearing a long winter coat.<p>

"Katie," her mom started.

"Ugh, Mom, how many times do I have to keep telling you that it's Katherine! You know I hate being called Kat or Katie! And besides, I can't come; my gymnastics meet is this weekend!"

"You don't understand. It's really important that you come."

"Come on, it can't be that-"

"Your father has cancer."

Katherine's heart stopped right there. "You're kidding, right? Please tell me this is some really sick joke. Only you could come up with something like this."

"Do you honestly think this is something I'd joke about? Your father seriously has cancer! They're not sure if he'll..."

"Have you told Rose?"

Katherine could hear her mother sigh on the other end. "No. She...we don't know how she'll take it, and-"

"That's no excuse. You have to tell her!"

"I'm protecting her!"

"No, Mom, you're lying to her." And with that, Katherine hung up the phone, and her knees gave way, as she sat down on the grass. Her friends sat down with her, as they gave her looks that they knew something was up. "My dad has cancer."

"No," Lillit cried. Lillit was from Israel, but had managed to get into the boarding school Katherine went to on a scholarship for music. She was a very talented pianist.

"Yeah. They haven't even told Rose yet."

"So," Maria asked, "what are you going to do?" Maria was from Italy, and was also on the gymnastics team. She was great on the balance beam, but even better on the bars, and was also Katherine's roommate. She, too, hoped to compete in the Olympics with Katherine.

"Go home, I guess. I don't want to miss the meet, but I don't think I have a choice," Katherine sighed.

"That sucks," Rachel piped up. Rachel was from Dundee, which was also in Scotland, and she managed to get into the boarding school on an art scholarship.

"You're telling me. Mom's even crazier than usual. And..."

"Katherine, is something wrong," a voice with a German accent asked. Katherine looked up from the ground, and saw her boyfriend, Lukas Herrman walking towards her.

"Lukas," Katherine breathed, trying to hold back her tears. He knelt down in front of her, and held out his arms. She quickly flung herself into his arms, as she sobbed. "My dad has cancer."

"Will you have to go back to Scotland," Lukas asked. Katherine nodded. "I'll go with-"

"No," Katherine sobbed. "Mom's crazy. She's already lying to Rose about this. Rose doesn't even know a thing. It's best if I go by myself."

"When will you leave?"

"Day after tomorrow, I guess. Gives me time to pack and stuff."

* * *

><p>Katherine went back to the dorm she shared with Maria, and found a small package lying on her bed. She raised an eyebrow at it, before picking it up and unwrapping it. It was a small, black, leather-bound journal. In all the packaging, there was a note. Katherine picked it up and read it. "To my darling daughter, Katherine," she read aloud. "I enjoyed the pictures you sent me from your last meet. Keep soaring higher. Love, Dad and Rose." Katherine sighed, as she wished that her mom had also signed the note. Then again, Katherine and her mom never really got along. It all started when Katherine said that she wanted to pursue a career in gymnastics and compete in the Olympics, when her mother said that Katherine should be a doctor or a lawyer.<p>

Katherine flung the journal across the room at a wall. It hit the wall, and opened to a blank page. She sighed, before thinking that the journal wasn't going to write itself. She picked up a pen and began to write in it:

_1st day of February, 2008_

_Journal__:_

_Well, I just found out my Dad has cancer. Whoop-de-fucking-do. Mom's crazier than normal, and she's basically been lying to Rose. How irritating. I hate Mom sometimes...why can't she just respect my wishes?_

_Boy am I glad that this journal is empty. Imagine if it wasn't, and some weird ghost-person-thing started writing back! That would be "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" all over again!_

_I miss my family, mainly Dad and Rose. The doctors don't know if Dad's going to make it or not. Better start hitting the books and doing some research._

_Oh! I just got this journal from Dad and Rose in the mail. Interesting how the note didn't include Mom, but whatever. It's completely blank, but it still looks really old._

_~Katherine_

* * *

><p>It was a rough gymnastics practice that day, as the team was getting ready for their first meet against their rival school. Katherine's muscles were sore from most of the work on the floor. The coach kept asking her to change so many aspects of her floor routine, and then to keep changing the song, it was driving Katherine crazy! Katherine wasn't even going to be at the meet, and when she told her coach, she had to do forty push-ups. She dragged herself up to her room, and collapsed on her bed. She was soon followed by Maria, who asked, "Rough workout, huh. Still, we have to have our routines perfect for the meet! We are level eight-almost level nine-gymnasts, you know."<p>

"Yeah. I'm just stressed, you know? I got off the phone with Mom, and that hag still hasn't told Rose anything. All I told Mom was that I was taking the train." Katherine soon realized that she was lying on her journal. Maria muttered something about going to take a shower, before going into the bathroom. The sound of running water could be heard, as Katherine sat up, got out a pen, and was about to start writing in her journal, when she noticed that another entry had somehow magically appeared. "How the hell..." Katherine asked herself, before reading the entry.

_T.A. 3018 February 11_

_Lady Katherine:_

_How you came by my journal is beyond me. However, do know that I do mind you using my journal. This is trespassing on private property._

_As to whether Katherine is your real name or not, I neither know nor care. I have never heard of such a name. I warn you, I will not be so gentle should you touch my belongings again._

_Boromir_

"Hey, isn't that the journal your dad and sister sent you," Maria asked, noticing the journal. Her hair was up in a towel, and she wore a light blue cashmere robe. Her eyes widened as she noticed the entry on the other page. "Who the hell is Boromir? Surely not some imaginary friend?"

"Very funny, Maria. I have no idea who. Guess I'd better write back, huh?"

"Probably a good idea. Oh, and hit the showers while you're at it. I don't know about you, but I felt so gross after that practice today. I feel so much better now!"

* * *

><p>Boromir was aggravated. Whoever this 'Katherine' person was obviously very smart; he could just see that. How, he did not know. Worse, how she had managed to come by his journal was making him more curious by the minute. It was clear that he was beginning to get very angry with the journal, often throwing it at various rocks. Eventually, he picked it up, only to find another entry in it.<p>

_1st of February 2008_

_Sir Boromir (since you seem to be addressing me as 'Lady Katherine')_

_I received this journal as a gift from my father and my sister, who are at home in my country. So, unless you lived in my house in Aberdeen before my parents moved there, I hardly consider what I have been doing trespassing. _

_For the record, Katherine is a real name. So is Rose. Look them up!_

_Oh, and while you're at it, LOOK AT A CALENDAR! Are you from another planet or something?_

_~Katherine_

* * *

><p>Boromir sighed. After receiving the next journal entry from 'Katherine,' it had been a week, and it appeared as if she had finally stopped writing. Still, he couldn't afford to take any further risks, and wrote back.<p>

_T.A. 3018 February 18_

_Lady Katherine_

_If this is a game, then your amusement is one-sided. I hardly find this amusing whatsoever. You certainly are not behaving very ladylike. Most men would find that irritating, and, yes, I am most men._

_It is not proper to write in something so personal to another such as his journal._

_Boromir_

* * *

><p>Katherine sighed, as she sat back in her room at her house. She was playing a game of Duel Monsters with her seven year old sister, Rose, while they sat on Katherine's bed. Rose looked just like Katherine, but the only differences were that she had hazel eyes and long auburn hair. Katherine's heart was only half in the game, though. Their mom was visiting with their dad in the hospital, so Katherine was left to babysit Rose. Katherine didn't mind; she loved Rose. What she did mind, however, was the fact that her mom kept lying to Rose like this. Rose deserved to know the truth at some point.<p>

That wasn't the only thing on Katherine's mind at that point, though, as she summoned Bountiful Artemis (1) to the playing field in attack mode. The other thing on Katherine's mind was that journal. Boromir was quite the interesting character.

Suddenly, she was taken from her thoughts by the sound of her phone ringing. "Hold on a sec," she told Rose, as she looked at the caller ID. It was Lukas! She smiled, as she spoke in German, "Hallo, Lukas. Was ist los? (Hey, Lukas. What's up?)"

"Eigentlich nichts. Nur dem Einchecken auf Sie. Alles in Ordnung? (Nothing really. Just checking in on you. Are you all right?)"

Katherine sighed. "Nicht wirklicht. (Not really). I'm home with Rose. I'm really worried about my dad. Mom won't leave his side, she won't let us visit him, and she still hasn't told Rose anything!"

"Anything about what," Rose asked. Katherine soon realized her mistake, and remembered that Rose was still in the room. Katherine quickly told Lukas she had to go, before realizing that if her mom wasn't going to break the news to Rose, no one would.

"Rose...well...Dad's sick. He has a disease called cancer," Katherine said, as she sat down near her sister.

"Cancer," Rose asked. "What's cancer?"

"It's a disease that people get, but it's really, really, really hard to explain. What I can tell you, though, is that Mom is at the hospital visiting Dad, and will probably be spending the night there."

"Is it because of me that he's sick? I've been a good girl, I swear! I've done everything Mommy and Daddy asked, and-"

"It's not your fault. Now, listen, having cancer doesn't mean that Dad's going to die. Many people survive from cancer. It's not contagious, so there's no need to worry about you or me getting it."

"I want to visit Daddy."

"We will. As soon as I get my car back, I'll drive us to the hospital. For now, though, it's important for you to continue your life as much like it was before. Go to school and continue to play with your friends. I'll take care of everything. Somehow. And another thing: Dad's recovery isn't depended on you, me, or Mom. What we can do, though, is be as helpful as we can. From what I've seen of hospital rooms, they're always the same; they're plain white and ugly. What do you say that once I get my car back, we stop somewhere and pick something up for Dad to brighten up his room on the way to the hospital?"

Rose shrugged her shoulders and nodded. Tears were starting to form in her eyes, as she looked at her sister. "Katherine? Is it okay to...to cry,?" she asked, and Katherine knew exactly what was going to happen. She nodded, as tears began to form in her own eyes, and held her arms out for her little sister, who flung herself into them. They both sat together and cried for a long time, before Katherine went downstairs and made Rose's favorite: fish and chips with mozzarella sticks. She sighed, as she wondered what on earth was happening to her life.

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><p><strong>AN: hope you like! R&R (and no, that's not read and run...that's read and review)! Reviews are love! ~kanna-chan**

**Title Song: Stop and Stare  
>Artist: OneRepublic <strong>


	2. Chapter II

**A/N: So...my first full-on LotR fic...this story will soon go into a collaboration with Basil101's awesome story "The Journal," where our OCs will meet! Also, there will be a few cameos in this fic of characters from various shows/movies...feel free as to guess where they're from! Oh, and my character's boyfriend is German, and my German is pretty much limited to asking for hot or cold water and the months. Oh, and I can count to forty in German, too, but that's about it. So I'll be using translations, and if any native German speakers (or anyone who speaks fluent German) can correct me, please feel free to! English translations will be in parenthesis after the foreign language!**

**One more thing! This story may become M later for future content. I won't say what, but...just letting you know in advance.**

**Let's see...kanna-chan (one thing you'll learn about me is that I talk in third person for my disclaimers...no idea why...just something I started doing) does not own "Lord of the Rings," any of the media referenced, or "The Journal." Those belong to Peter Jackson, JRR Tolkein, the people who created the referenced media, and Basil101.**

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><p><em>8th of February 2008<em>

_Dear Sir Boromir (seeing as I feel I must be as polite as humanly possible)_

_I hardly find it necessary for you to constantly be invading my journal. You're probably dead, for all I know. You're starting to creep out me and my roommate at school. Which, I can't really say anymore, given I'm not at school at present time. Anyway, assuming you're dead, I don't see how me writing in this journal is a bad thing. So w__hy don't you shut it? I've had a rough week. My dad's just been diagnosed with cancer, my mom's been lying to my sister about it, and I'm pretty much the only sane one out of all of us. I have too much to manage._

_~Katherine_

Katherine sighed as she drove her car to the hospital her father was staying at. It had been about a week later, and her mom still hadn't left her father's side. Rose was in the car listening to Katherine's iPod as they drove. Suddenly, Katherine's cell rang. She didn't need to check the caller ID to know who it was. She hit the button on her Bluetooth headset to pick up the call, when a loud and angry voice shouted through the phone, "Where the hell are you?"

"Sheesh, calm down, Mom," Katherine sighed, as she drove. Someone just tried to cut her off in the middle of her lane, and she honked her horn, before saying, "We're on our way. We're just stuck in traffic."

"If you told Rose, I swear to G-d-"

"You'll do what? I already told her. Plus, I'm already of age. You can't do anything directly to me for telling my little sister the truth. I mean, really? You lied to her that Dad's been diagnosed with leukemia?"

"She's too young!"

"And where have you been to properly raise her for the past week? Oh, right. With Dad. If anything, he's definitely the better parent; at least he _cared_ and allowed us to do what we needed to. You wouldn't even let me pursue gymnastics-"

"Because it's a waste of time! You could be a nurse, a lawyer, a-"

"What the-_sssh_-_ssh_-I think I'm going into a tunnel; you're breaking up."

"Katie, don't you dare-" too late. Katherine sighed to herself as she hung up on her mother and continued to drive. She shook her head, as she came up to the hospital, and looked for a parking spot.

"We're here," Rose asked, taking out her headphones.

Katherine nodded. "Remember," she whispered, getting out of the car and hugging her sister as she got out, "Dad's going to be connected to G-d knows what. Don't be scared, okay?" They started to walk, and Katherine muttered, "It's Mom we have to worry about. Time to face the music."

* * *

><p>"Daddy," Rose exclaimed, running up to her father's bedside. She stopped, as soon as she took in everything in the room. "I missed you!" Rose didn't even look at her mom, let alone acknowledge her.<p>

"Hey, pumpkin," Rose's father said, sitting up to hug his daughter. "I missed you, too."

"Hi, Dad," Katherine said, coming up behind Rose.

Dad looked at Katherine for a minute, before saying, "You've grown so much. I can tell."

Katherine smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Did you get the pictures from my last meet?"

"I did; you looked great! You'll be going to the Olympics someday; I know it."

"Dad, I still have to wait til the winter Olympics before I can even try out for the team," Katherine laughed.

"Katherine's right, dear," Katherine's mom spoke in a cold, hard voice. "Besides, maybe she'll change her mind about what she wants to do. Maybe, instead of throwing her life away with this useless garbage, she can turn to something useful. Like being a lawyer or a nurse."

Katherine stood up. "Rose, stay here with Dad," she said to her sister. Katherine then turned to face her mom with a cold, hard, look. "Mom. You. Me. Outside. Hallway. Now."

Katherine and Rose's mother huffed, before going out with her oldest into the hallway. "Katie-" her mom started.

"Katherine, Mom. You know I hate being called Katie," Katherine sighed.

"You know how I feel about gymnastics," her mom continued, ignoring her daughter. "There are so many more worthwhile things to do with your life! You could be a lawyer-"

"Boring."

"A nurse."

"I'm squeamish. You know I hate blood."

"You hate blood?"

Katherine stared at her mom in shock. "Wow," she sighed, as she ran a hand through her long hair. "You really don't care, do you?"

"Sweetie, of course I care about you and your sister!"

"Really? Then answer me this: What's Rose's favorite food?"

"Macaroni and cheese."

"Wrong. It's fish and chips with mozzarella sticks. Here's another one: Who's my roommate at boarding school?"

"Lily, right?"

"Wrong again. It's Lillit, and she was my roommate two years ago. I'm rooming with Maria now. Goes to show how much you-"

_SLAP! _Katherine's mother's hand ran across Katherine's cheek, leaving a red mark. "Katherine, Dad sent me to-" Rose cut herself off mid-sentence after she saw her mother slap her sister. "Mommy...why? Why did you...?"

"Rose, this isn't what it looks like!"

"Oh, so you're going to lie to her? Just like you did about Dad? It's a miracle that no one's called Social Services yet," Katherine sneered, as she rubbed the spot.

"I...I...I hate you," Rose shouted at her mom, running over to her sister.

Katherine hugged Rose, before glaring at her mom. "I can't believe you sometimes. Rose is coming to live with me at boarding school if this continues to keep up."

"Whatever. You and your father...I can't believe him. He actually encourages useless stuff like _gymnastics_ and _theater_," the girls' mom sneered. "I don't even know why I married him. Oh, wait. I do know why. He was rich." The girls gasped. "Surprised? I married him for money. I never _loved_ him. Do you have any idea how many other men I've been with while I've been married to that jackass?"

"Mom-" Katherine started, as Rose started to cry again.

"Don't interrupt me!"

"But, Mom-"

"I said shut it, you whining whelp!"

"Katrina," a sharp voice said from inside the hospital room. The girls' mom jolted at the sound of the voice. It was her husband; the girls' father. He was leaning against a mobile IV unit, as he stood in the doorway of his hospital room.

"Robert," Katrina stammered. "This isn't-"

"Go."

"But, Robert-"

"Go. You can't parent these girls anymore. I'm also filing for divorce. I hope you have a good lawyer. Oh, and have I mentioned that Social Services is already on their way?" Katrina gasped, before Robert continued, "Yes. I could hear you guys, and the moment I heard Rose scream that she hated you, I knew something was up. I've been listening the entire time as I called Social Services. They'll be here any minute. Oh, and I told the nurse that she couldn't let you leave until Social Services got here."

"But I'm a good parent!"

"You don't care about our girls' happiness! You don't care about anything or anyone but yourself! Rose will live with Katherine at boarding school. That's my final word."

"But-"

"Is this her, Mr. Sinclair," a man asked, walking up to him. He wore a black suit and tie, and glared at Katrina. "I'm Mr. Fass. I'm with Social Services. I believe you called a few minutes ago?"

"That's her. Take her," Robert Sinclair said, nodding. He was starting to get pale.

"This isn't over! You haven't heard the end of this," Katrina shouted, as she was dragged away by Social Services. Katherine and Rose stared after their mother with wide eyes, before turning to their father, who sighed, as he staggered back to his bed.

"Are you all right, Daddy," Rose asked, as she watched her father get back into bed.

"I'm fine, sweetie. Just tired. Katherine, why don't you and your sister head home," Robert asked, looking toward his eldest daughter.

"We can stay-" Katherine started.

"I'd rather you went home. At least stay here in Aberdeen for a while til the doctors say that I'm well enough to come home."

Katherine sighed. Clearly, she wasn't going to win this one.

* * *

><p>The two girls were back at their house, and were eating dinner and watching TV. Katherine cleaned up from dinner, before telling Rose to start getting ready for bed. Katherine went up to her room, and looked at the journal she left on the bed. She opened it up to find yet another entry from the mysterious 'Boromir.'<p>

_T.A. 3018 February 25_

_Dear Lady Katherine:_

_It appears as if this journal is somehow enchanted. Are you from some other time? The dates you have written in here are strange to me as well. Which age are you from, my lady? If you haven't already noticed, I am from the Third Age._

_Also, what's cancer? It does not sound good for your father, so if it is not a good thing, then I am sorry to hear. I pray that things will turn out well._

_Boromir_

Yet another entry. Katherine stared at the date and the writing, before picking up a pen and writing back.

_8th of February, 2008_

_Dear Sir Boromir:_

_I don't believe in ghosts or anything strange like that, but given everything that's been happening recently, I'm not really sure what to believe. As for a Third Age...none of the textbooks say anything about a Third Age. Maybe if not...we might be from whole different worlds altogether. Wait, if you are from another time and/or world, you probably don't know what a textbook is, do you? A textbook is a really big book with lots of information. It has many topics pertaining to a single subject. Hm...It's sort of like a miniature library, but only having to do with one subject._

_Cancer...well...it's this disease where the cells in the body start to grow uncontrollably. There are many different types of cancer, but the one that my dad has is called leukemia, which is where the amount of white blood cells in the body increase abnormally. In short, it's cancer of the blood. I'm not sure if they've tried anything yet, though. My mother has been such a bitch lately, it's insane. She was just taken away by the police (what would you call them where you're from? Law enforcement?) at the hospital. I don't really want to talk about it right now._

_Thank you for the good thoughts. It's good to know that at least someone cares, even if he doesn't exist in this world or time period._

_Katherine_

Just as she signed it, and was about to close the journal, her phone rang. She grabbed a small photo of her and her teammates at a meet and put it in the journal to serve as a bookmark. She answered the phone. "Hello," she asked, unsure of who was calling. She walked toward her dresser and began to pick out pajamas for the night.

"Katherine," Maria exclaimed, who was quickly followed with yells from the other girls.

"Guys," Katherine exclaimed, plopping down on her bed.

"We miss you," Lillit yelled. "You're on speaker, can you hear us all right?"

"Loud and clear, ladies. Loud and clear," Katherine replied.

"How's your dad doing," Rachel asked.

"Could be better. He has leukemia." Katherine could hear the other girls go "that sucks" and "what can we do?" Katherine smiled. If only the other girls could be in Aberdeen with her and Rose. "How'd the meet go?"

"It's been postponed," Maria replied.

"Postponed? Til when?"

"We're not sure. Coach just said that it was postponed, kicked us out of practice, and walked away."

"Strange," Katherine muttered. When she turned around, the journal was glowing. Not only that, but the photo that she just placed in there had vanished. Katherine stared at the journal until it stopped glowing, before whispering to herself, "What the hell?"

"What," Lillit asked.

"Did Maria tell you guys about this 'Boromir' guy who's been writing in some journal I got?"

"Oooh...does Katherine have another guy?"

"Shut up, Lillit," Katherine said playfully. "And no. Answer my question."

"Fine. Yeah, she told us."

"Good. He's been writing back. We started some kind of correspondence through the journal. It's kinda weird. Here's the freaky part, though. I put one of the photos from one of our meets in the journal to use as a bookmark, turned my back for _one second_, and when I turned back around, the journal was glowing, and the photo was gone."

"That's," Rachel started.

"Just," Lillit continued.

"Creepy," Maria finished. "Well, open it! Read what it says!"

"Sheesh, guys, calm down, and keep it down; Rose is getting ready for bed," Katherine admonished playfully, before opening up the journal. "I swear, this person's handwriting is so weird. Anyway, here's his reply.

_T.A. 3018 February 25_

_Dear Lady Katherine:_

_In my world, law enforcers are more commonly referred to as Rangers. One of my travelling companions is a Ranger. He is very powerful, but we tend to disagree on a lot of things. Our journey has been rough._

__It must have been rough for you and your sister to watch your mother be taken away like that. My mother died when I was young, so my brother and I didn't really know her that well. I cannot say I understand what you're going through, but you are in my thoughts as you go through this.__

_Cancer sounds like a very brutal way to die, but hopefully, your father will recover. My father is currently ruling over the kingdom of Gondor, where the White Tree resides. I do not know of his health, given that I have been travelling for a few months now._

_By the way, I have received a strange piece of paper with your last entry. It looks like a very realistic sketch of several girls. What is this?_

_Boromir_

"It sounds weird, doesn't it," Katherine asked, after she finished reading.

"Totally. Where is this guy going, anyway," Rachel asked. "And travelling companions? A rough journey? Sounds kinda strange."

"Wait, so you guys don't think I'm crazy or anything," Katherine asked.

"Girl, if you're going crazy, we're going crazy with you. After all, someone's got to keep a cool head as you go through all this," Lillit said.

"Girls, go back to your dorms and get back to bed," a voice shouted through the phone.

"Crap...that's the dorm adviser," Maria sighed. "We better go, before we _really_ get in trouble. Call us tomorrow, okay?"

"Will do," Katherine replied. "'Night." Katherine hung up and sighed to herself.

"Katherine, I'm going to go to bed now," Rose said, as she walked into her big sister's room.

"Get a good night's sleep. We're going to go see Dad again tomorrow, okay," Katherine replied.

Rose nodded her head, before she sat down next to her sister on her sister's bed. "Who was that on the phone?"

"The girls. They postponed our meet at school."

"That stinks."

"Tell me about it."

"So what's up with that journal?"

"Were you listening the entire time?"

"...Maybe."

"You little-" and with that Katherine started to tickle her little sister. Rose squealed with laughter, as she tried to get her older sister back. This went on for a few minutes before Katherine said, "I'll tell you in the morning on the way to see Dad. But remember, you have to keep this a secret, okay? What's going on is just between you and me." Rose nodded, and went to her room. Katherine dimmed the lights in her own room a little, before writing back.

_8th of February, 2008_

_Dear Boromir:_

_To start off, I really hope you don't mind me excluding the 'sir' from your name. If you want, you can exclude 'Lady' from mine as well._

_That thing that was in my last entry was what people call a photograph in my world. It's kind of like a realistic sketch, but not really. A photograph (or photo for short) is what's taken using a piece of modern technology from my world called a camera. A camera is a device that's used to store images, and when the images stored on it are developed, they become...well...pretty much what you have. I'm the third one from the right, with the light brown hair in the sparkly red outfit. The other girls are my best friends, and from left to right, the order is: Rachel, Lillit, me, and Maria. Maria is my roommate at school, but I'm at home now, because my dad's in the hospital, and someone has to take care of my little sister. Her name is Rose._

_Our outfits are probably strange to you, aren't they? My friends and I are wearing leotards, which are outfits that are worn to perform gymnastics. They look so tight, because gymnasts (people who do gymnastics) are very flexible and need to be able to move their body in many different ways. Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. So, naturally, we have to wear outfits accommodating our needs. It's a lot of fun!_

_Well, it's getting late, and I'm going to see my dad tomorrow, so I'm going to sign off for now. Good luck with your journey!_

_Katherine_


	3. Chapter III

**A/N: ****This story may become M later for future content. I won't say what, but...just letting you know in advance.**

**Let's see...kanna-chan does not own "Lord of the Rings," any of the media referenced, or "The Journal." Those belong to Peter Jackson, JRR Tolkein, the people who created the referenced media, and Basil101.**

**Sorry for the long wait...I had other stories that needed to be worked on, and an application for a summer program at a college that I want to go to. So...yeah.**

**The middle/end of this chapter is going to be a bit Rose-centric...we'll get back to Katherine soon, promise! It just probably won't be til the next chapter. Here's what I can tell you about Katherine: SHE'S NOT DEAD. Yet. OK, I was kidding about the yet part, but she's not dead.**

**On with the show!**

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><p>The two sisters continued to visit their father every day. Rose followed the house rules, did everything she was supposed to at school, and always listened to Katherine, who had explained the mysterious journal to her. Rose didn't really understand what was going on, but she went with it anyway. Katherine and Boromir still kept up their correspondence, and Katherine kept Boromir posted with all the updates she could. Katherine knew Boromir didn't really understand any of it, given that he was from another world (and possibly another time), but it felt good to know that there was someone who would listen. Katherine also kept her friends at boarding school posted on what was going on, and Lukas called almost every other day to make sure that she and Rose were doing okay.<p>

It was March 20, and Easter was coming up soon. Katherine and Rose were at the hospital visiting their father, who didn't seem to be making much progress with his treatment. All of his hair was gone, he looked much paler than normal, and he had bags under his eyes that had bags of their own. Katherine and Rose kept exchanging nervous glances with each other, as both of them knew what was going to happen to their dad soon. "Something wrong," Katherine's dad asked, looking concerned.

"Nothing," Katherine lied, looking at Rose, in the hopes that Rose wouldn't say anything. "I'm , that's all." Katherine picked up her bag, and began to walk towards the door, Rose following her.

"You know, when I was young, I was just as stubborn as you were. I wouldn't stop doing whatever I could to get what I want," Katherine's dad mused. Clearly he was in a story-telling mood, but Katherine never really minded much. Robert Sinclair traveled the world for his job. It was never clear exactly what he did, but he always told interesting stories that captivated the girls. Katherine stopped halfway at the door, and Rose sat back down. "I got into trouble quite a bit, though. I fell in love with someone I probably shouldn't have."

"Someone you shouldn't have," Katherine repeated, raising an eyebrow. Rose looked at her sister. None of this was making any sense.

"We were of different worlds."

"So what happened?"

"I met your mother." Robert closed his eyes as he remembered the girls' mom before she revealed that she had married Robert for money. "I really loved her. Your mother was so beautiful, so sweet, and so compassionate. We loved each other unconditionally, despite the fact that I loved another."

"So you didn't love Mom?" All the stuff Katherine's dad was saying was really making her head hurt.

"Of course I loved your mother. Well, not after today, but before today, I really did love her. Although...I didn't love her as much as I did the other."

"So why didn't you marry her," Rose asked. "The woman you fell in love with."

"I found out she was with another man. I wasn't prepared to hear that. I ran away." This made the girls look at each other. "Listen to me very carefully, girls," Robert said, as he struggled to sit up the best he could, and put his weak and withered hands on his girls' shoulders. "True love only comes once. Embrace it, and never let it go. Don't-" Robert coughed, before continuing, "don't end up like me, and regret the choices you made."

"So you wish you didn't marry Mom," Rose asked in confusion.

"I do now, but I didn't before all this. I was diagnosed with leukemia a few months ago. At first, it was quickly treated, but then I relapsed two weeks ago. Before all this happened, I felt guilty hurting your mother. I hurt her and everyone dear to me."

"She hurt you more, though," Katherine commented. "She married you for money. She hurt Rose and I. She hurt you most of all."

"That may be. I sometimes wish that I had made a better choice, though. Maybe none of this would have happened," Robert mused.

"Dad, had you made the other choice," Rose whispered, "Katherine and I wouldn't have been born."

Robert smiled at the girls. His eyes were filled with sadness, as silent tears went down his face. "Mr. Sinclair," a doctor called, walking into the room with a wheelchair. "We need to run more tests." Robert sighed, as Katherine and the nurse helped him into the wheelchair. "Are you his daughter," the nurse asked, looking at Katherine.

"I'm the eldest of his two daughters, if that's what you're asking," Katherine answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Can you meet me by the waiting room after I drop your father off for his tests? I have to talk to you about something."

"Can Rose come?"

"Rose?"

"My sister."

"I'd rather that she didn't."

"Why?"

The nurse looked at Rose, before saying, "She's much too young. She won't understand any of it."

"You're right, but she'll have to grow up awfully fast with this. And anything you can say in front of me, you can say in front of her."

"Fair enough. Where's your mom anyway?"

"We don't have one."

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><p>The doctor had just dropped Robert Sinclair off for his tests, and quickly met the girls in the waiting room. He explained that the cancer was spreading, and that the chances that the girls' father would survive were extremely slim. Apparently, his name was Dr. Gregory House. "I understand that this is hard," he explained, "but as the responsible party, there are certain decisions that you need to make."<p>

"No," Katherine sighed. "I'm not responsible. I can't be."

"But you are the next of kin."

"You need to understand," Katherine said, exercising every ounce of patience she had, "I'm not responsible. I can't be."

"I understand your position, but in the event that your father-"

"Leave her alone," Rose cried, smacking the nurse on the legs. "Can't you see that this is making us suffer, too? Leave us alone!"

"But I-"

"Rose is right," Katherine sighed. "Leave. Go find someone else's organs to harvest or something."

"Fine. Just one thing you need to know. Life sucks. Your life sucks more than most. It's not as bad as some, which is depressing all by itself."

"Well, that went well," Katherine sighed as she sat down. She looked at her phone to check the time. 6:15 p.m. Wonderful. She sighed to herself, closing up her phone, and looked at Rose, who was thumbing through coloring books.

"We finally found you," someone said, gasping for breath. Katherine turned around in her chair to see her friends from school. Lukas wasn't there, but Katherine was still happy to see her friends.

"Guys," she cried, as she ran up to them, followed by Rose. "What are you doing here? I can't believe you're here."

"Never estimate the kind of power the police force has," Rachel said, smiling. "Let's just say I told my dad that we were looking for you, and he took it from there."

"Are you doing all right," Lillit asked.

"I'm holding up as well as can be expected," Katherine sighed. "I was going to head home soon, and make dinner. They just took Dad in for some tests, and the chances that he'll make it are super slim, and-" Katherine and Rose looked at each other, before bursting into tears. Maria quickly took Rose into her arms, and they all hugged each other.

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><p>After seeing that Robert had finished his tests and was asleep, Katherine left a note on his bed saying that she and Rose had left. The other girls had taken the train from Rachel's house in Dundee, so they went back to Rachel's house after making sure that Katherine and Rose were okay. Hugs were exchanged between all the girls, before Katherine and Rose got into their car and hit the road. It was almost 7:30 p.m. by the time they arrived back at their house and Katherine made dinner.<p>

"Well that visit went...well," Rose commented as she took a bite of her food. "I don't really get what Dad was talking about, though. What did he mean, 'Don't end up like me, and regret the choices you made'? I'm confused."

"Me, too," Katherine sighed, as she chewed. "I don't want to put too much mind on it, though, and-" Katherine was cut off as her bag started glowing. "What the heck?" Katherine dug through the bag and pulled out the journal.

"Is that Bormie," Rose asked. "Is he writing again?"

"Boromir," Katherine corrected, "and it looks like it." Katherine opened the journal to the latest entry, and read it aloud.

_T.A. 3018 April 6_

_Dear Katherine:_

_I bring good news! We have finally made some decent headway in our quest, and are at a good resting place, so I should be able to write more often._

_Enlighten me about yourself. What sorts of things do you like to do (besides gymnastics)? What is your family like? I have a feeling that you are probably thinking that it is unfair of me to ask questions such as this without introducing myself, first, so I shall introduce myself._

_As you know, I am Boromir, and I am the ruling Steward of the kingdom of Gondor. I enjoy sword fighting, and I am an extremely loyal person. I have a younger brother, Faramir, who is currently looking after Gondor with my father, Denethor II._

_I do wish to write more, but it is getting late, and some bloody elf and I have been put in charge of hunting for food tomorrow. How irritating._

_Boromir_

"Wow," Rose said, as she finished eating. "That's..."

"Odd," Katherine supplied, as she gathered Rose's dishes along with her own, and rinsed them, before putting them in the dishwasher.

"That's a good word for-" Rose was cut off as the phone rang. "Are you waiting for someone to call?"

"No," Katherine said, puzzled. "I mean, I was waiting for Lukas to call, but I assume that he's really busy with homework." Katherine walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Katherine Sinclair," the voice on the other end asked.

"Yes, this is she."

"Your father, he...come to the hospital! Quickly!"

Katherine dropped the phone, before barking at Rose, "Get your coat."

"What?"

"Now, for G-d's sake! Dad's dying! We have to get there now!"

Rose gasped, as she ran to get her coat. They were in the car within seconds, on their way to the hospital.

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><p>Rose held on to the seat she was sitting on in the car so tight, her knuckles were turning white. The same could be said for Katherine's knuckles. Her hands were gripped onto the steering wheel so hard. They were nearly at the hospital until...<p>

"No, no, NO," Katherine shouted, slamming her hand on the horn. They were stuck in a traffic jam. This was just perfect. "Move it, you idiots!"

"Katherine, it's not nice to call people idiots," Rose whined.

"Well, they won't move! What do you expect me to do?"

"Um..."

"Exactly." Katherine honked her horn again, only for more drivers to honk their horns right back at her. "For the love of G-d, move it!" She honked her horn more, as tears of sadness and anger went down her face.

"Katherine, are we going to make it," Rose asked, crying. "I'm scared."

Katherine sighed. She did her best to look ahead and could see there was an accident. "There's an accident that's stopping traffic," she sighed. "We can't go any further, because none of these cars will mo-" That's when she heard it. Her cell phone rang. She put in her Bluetooth earpiece and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Katherine Sinclair," a female voice on the other end said.

"Yes, this is she," Katherine said, realizing who it was and what she was about to say.

"This is Nurse Greer. I regret to inform you that your father passed away five minutes ago."

Rose stared at her sister who was on the phone, and heard her mumbling things along the lines of 'thank you,' and 'I'll handle it in the morning.' Katherine hung up the phone and sighed. "Is Dad..." Rose couldn't bear to say it.

Katherine nodded. Traffic had finally started to move, and after a few minutes, there was enough room for Katherine to make a U-turn. "We're going home," Katherine sighed, as she made the U-turn.

Katherine drove down the road in silence, as Rose stared out the window. Silent tears were going down the girl's face, until she saw it. Big, bright headlights coming right for the car. "Katherine," Rose shrieked, and Katherine turned her head, but it was too late. The driver of the other car swerved, and hit Katherine's car.

The last things that both girls saw were the headlights of that other car, and the person driving said car.

It was their mother.

Both girls blacked out, allowing darkness to take them.

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><p>The first thing that Rose felt was the ground. She was expecting to be upside down in the car, or dead. Or on the street writhing in agony. But she wasn't. She was lying on something soft and wet. She struggled to open her eyes and get to her feet. There was a slight pain in her back, probably from having landed so hard. She managed to get to her feet, but quicker than she should have, and swayed on the spot, before walking in a random direction.<p>

Rose took in her surroundings. The air was clean, but the sky was grey and cloudy. It looked as though it would rain within a matter of minutes Rose looked around, as she leaned against a tree, sighing. The tree was tall; at least fifty or sixty feet. It was clear to Rose that the road was nowhere in sight. Or at least, that's what she thought, until she heard what sounded like a roar.

Rose whipped her head around, only to find what looked like a person, but clearly wasn't. It had long arms, big eyes, and looked as if it was covered with dirt. It roared at her. Rose wanted to scream, but couldn't find her voice to do so. Instead, she picked up a rock from the ground, and threw it at the creature. It bounced off of it, not really having much effect. The creature roared, before charging at her. Rose jumped and ran as fast as she could away from the thing, which was still roaring and chasing after her.

Rose ran and ran as fast as she could, but she was beginning to run out of breath. The creature was gaining, and it wasn't long before she tripped over a tree root and fell in a big mud puddle. She quickly looked up, only to see the creature wielding an axe. It was running straight towards her. Just as she thought the creature was going to kill her, she looked down, put her hands over her head, and closed her eyes tightly.

She thought for sure that she was a goner, until she heard a _THUNK_. Rose looked up just enough to see the creature with an arrow protruding from its chest fall down onto the ground. It was dead. She gasped, and her breathing became very fast. Despite the fact that she was hyperventilating, she managed to pull herself into a position where she could crawl to safety. She was about to start attempting to crawl, when she felt something on her back. A hand. Rose looked up from the ground to see a man's face. The man had pointy ears, long blonde hair that went past his shoulders, and blue eyes. The pointy ears made Rose wonder if he was an elf, like in the storybooks. He wore a green tunic, running to mid thigh, and brown trousers. "Are you all right, little one," he asked softly.

Rose looked up, and her breath quickened. She managed to get out the words, "Who...are..." before proceeding to fall into the man's arms. He quickly brushed some of her hair out of her face, and looked up at the sky, as it started to rain.


End file.
